"Hey, check this out. Answers to a test.""Shawn, we can't be looking at test answers. That's major cheating! Detention for life!""No, these aren't for a real test. They're for that stupid lQ exam we're taking tomorrow.""Wait a minute. Let me take a look at this. Wow. The person who knows these answers gets a perfect score!""On a test that doesn't even count for a grade. Why bother?""Are you kidding? This is my one ticket to get Feeny off my back. If Feeny thinks I'm a genius, he'll treat me just as good as he treats Minkus.""Hey, Cory? Do yourself a favor; crumple the paper up and throw it away in the trash. Don't complicate your life.""You know, that makes a lot of sense. And if I was a smarter person, I'd probably listen to you. Except I'm not a smarter person. But tomorrow, I'm going to be a genius."

Contents

Plot

It's nearing Halloween and Cory "tests out" a fake, red nose in Mr. Feeny's class, taking the term class clown literally. Mr. Feeny demands he keeps it on the rest of the morning and he returns graded book reports. Cory protests his poor grade and asks why Mr. Feeny picks on him over someone like Minkus. Mr. Feeny all but scoffs at the idea of Minkus doing anything meriting getting "picked on". Cory ends up with detention.

Shawn meets up with Cory after detention (Shawn got his own detention slip from his art teacher) and they find an answer sheet for an upcoming IQ test in the trash. Cory decides to memorize the answers, score high, and finally get Mr. Feeny to treat him as good as Minkus. He scores highest in the school, making Feeny suspicious (though he doesn't voice his suspicions; rather he lavishes over exaggerated praise on Cory). He sends Cory home with a letter for his parents and after a whole lot of nerves, Shawn opens the letter and learns that their teacher just wants to talk to Cory's parents. Though Cory is hesitant, Shawn convinces him to keep up the act.

His attempt to look "cultured" involves playing classical music in his room, timed for when his parents walk in. Though they are not fooled at all, they refrain from accusing him in hopes he'll admit what he did. They're interrupted by Morgan in a grisly zombie costume. Eric took her shopping and picked her out the last zombie costume. Though Amy doesn't really care for it, Alan, Eric, and Morgan think it's pretty cool. The next day, Cory confides in Shawn that he doesn't like lying to his parents and feels like the whole 'genius' thing has gotten out of hand. But Shawn and Cory convince themselves it's not technically their fault. Mr Feeny takes Cory out of class to give him one last chance to confess before revealing that Cory is being transferred to a school for prodigies, with no sports. Cory blusters and tries to get out of it but Feeny ominously says that Cory deserves everything he's going to get.

After school, Cory calls Shawn over to yell at him and shoot him with a Nerf gun. He blames Shawn for egging him on to keep up the genius charade. A woman from the gifted school, Ms. Bertram, is coming to give him a test and Shawn thinks Cory should just fail it so he doesn't get accepted. He does so but the snooty Ms Bertram thinks Cory failed the test on purpose so he wouldn't be taken away from his friends. Frustrated with how the whole thing has snowballed, Cory finally confesses to his parents that he cheated on the first test and they confirm that they knew. Ms Bertram is not pleased and leaves, though not before Cory's parents declare they're proud of their normal kids. Cory's parents ground him for two weeks but allow him to go trick-or-treating and tell him he doesn't have to be something he's not. The next day, Cory gives up his nose (and the title of class clown) to Mr. Feeny. He finally knows why Mr. Feeny is harder on Cory than other kids who score the same as on tests.

On Halloween, in the post-credits, Mr. Feeny drops by the Matthews' house for some candy since the trick-or-treaters don't like the rulers he's giving out. Three trick-or-treaters show up and one of them, recognizing Mr. Feeny, says that Cory called him the best teacher in the whole school. Feeny, convinced it's Cory, takes off the boy's mask to reveal another kid. Feeny apologizes and gives him the rest of his rulers before leaving. After he's gone, the other two trick-or-treaters take off their masks to reveal Cory and Shawn. "And they say I'm not a genius," brags Cory with a grin.

Guest Cast

Jane Carr as Ms. Bertram

Marty York as Costumed Kid #1

Sam Horrigan as Costumed Kid #2

Dusty Gould as Costumed Kid #3

Quotes

Cory: How come you always pick on me, Mr. Feeny? How come you never pick on Minkus?Feeny: Have you taken a blow to the head, Mr. Matthews? Stuart Minkus gets nothing but A's. If there was a letter before A, he would get that.

Shawn: Who cares if Feeny doesn't think you're brilliant. As long as the test says so.Cory: But I'm not. And my parents know I'm not.Shawn: Then you'll have to make them think you are.Cory: How do I do that?Shawn: Get with the program, Cory. It's Halloween. And this year, you're going as a genius.

Shawn: Besides, you didn't tell them you were a genius. Feeny did.Cory: And I didn't tell Feeny I'm a genius...Shawn: The test did! And you didn't ask to take the test...Cory: They gave it to me!Shawn: And you wouldn't have even seen the answers...Cory: If they didn't give us-Shawn: -Detention!Cory: We're innocent victims.

Ms. Bertram: So, Mrs. Matthews, you're a housewife?Alan: Uh, Amy's a homemaker. She wrangles three kids, runs this house, and still manages to sell real estate quite successfully.Ms. Bertram: And I understand you work at a grocery store.Amy: Alan is the manager of the largest supermarket in this whole area.Ms. Bertram: Ahh... Tradesmen are so important and yet so little respected.

Ms. Bertram: If yours are the genes that have produced our darling Cory, then perhaps you've done it again with young Morgan here. (Facing Morgan) Shall we try a word association problem?Morgan: OkayMs. Bertram: "Maple" is to "Elm" as "Daisy" is to...?Morgan: Booger?Ms. Bertram: ...You may go.